Crossing Worlds
by turkeyplatter
Summary: Readers should note that this is actually a general Final Fantasy/Kingdom Hearts crossover--there weren't enough options to select FFI, FFIV,FFVII-FFXII. Basic story: characters travel between worlds and pick up characters? Eventual crossover with KH.
1. SEED 1

Category:

Kingdom Hearts & Final Fantasy

Disclaimer:

I do not own Kingdom Hearts, the Final Fantasy series, or any of the characters therein.

Description:

My muses dropped this one on me right after I finished up the Becoming Paine pseudo-saga (a four-part, 19,000+ word story that just would not die...it will never be posted on this site by the way). At first, I groaned and muttered something to the general affect of, "Not _another _Paine fanfic!" Despite how it starts out, though, it focuses on all of the different characters in the story. No one ever really takes the spotlight for very long (so far anyway). Storyline? Um…they travel to different worlds and find "lost" characters? Eventual crossover with worlds/characters from KH&KHII. Bear with me!

Edge disclaimer: for all you Edge fans out there, I apologize! I never defeated FFIV, and it's been many moons since I've played it. My memory is much better of FFI, FFVII, Dirge of Cerberus: FFVII, FF Tactics, FFVIII, FFIX, FFX & X-2, and FFXII. So, AGAIN, I apologize for any mis-characterizations on my part. *bows head in supplication*

Pairings note: The combination of characters that appear in this fanfic are in no way indicative of my personal views on FF pairings, and not everyone in this fanfic is going to get a pairing. Two I will put a definite nix on from the "off":

Paine-Rikku *twitch* *spasm* *sickos!*

Vincent-Shelke *just creepy*

SEED 1

Just what she needed. Her friend turned into a stubborn bodyguard.

Drawing herself to her full five feet seven inches, Paine glared at the burly giant. "I said get out of my way, Barrett."

The dark man just grunted and remained solidly in place.

Edge stepped in before the confrontation could develop into anything physical. "Paine," he said quietly, placing a hand on her shoulder both to sooth and for restraint.

Paine cast a last glare at Barrett before stalking over to stare at the slowly passing stars. A few braver heartless ships veered off their routes to attack, but SEED gunning crews shot them down in small explosions of white sparks.

Quistis' soft footsteps padded to her side. "You okay?" she asked.

She continued to glare fixedly out the window.

Five years. Five years had passed since Spira had been destroyed by the heartless. Her small smile was mirthless. "And I thought Vagnagaun was a bad," she muttered.

The school teacher type offered a sympathetic smile. "Ultimicia doesn't seem so bad now either," she confided.

Cid's office doors slid aside at that moment, the aged headmaster emerging with his signature slow gait. The group turned toward him, their gazes sharp. The old man shook his head.

"No!" Paine snarled, pushing past the old man and into the other room. Cid didn't object, recognizing the grief motivating the warrior's actions. Finally inside the room, she stopped short. Gippal was alive but barely. His face was drained of all color, breath coming in short, shallow gasps. A mixture of dread and horror spurred her forward. "Gippal?" she said, dropping to his side.

The near-corpse stirred weakly, a sickly grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. "They didn't get me," his voice barely came out a whisper.

Paine stopped the sob in her throat, but tears ran down her cheeks of their own accord. "No, they didn't," she choked out.

Gippal's grin stretched momentarily, then slackened as his spirit departed for the Farplane.

She stared, numb, as her friend's features stiffened into death's rigors. Not really knowing what she was doing, Paine left the room. She was vaguely aware that the others were speaking to her, but she couldn't hear what they were saying. It was like someone had turned the volume off. When she finally regained some sense, she was sitting on a couch clutching Penelo's hand so tightly that the young woman's fingers were blue. Almost convulsive, Paine released her grasp.

"Sorry." Paine looked away.

"It's okay," she returned kindly. Penelo hesitated a moment before starting, "You know, he didn't become a heartless."

Paine stared ahead blankly. Six of them had made it off of Spira. Yuna and Tidus were already heartless before they met up with Cid and the others. Clasko had been next. Buddy lasted another two years. The fact that their friends were heartless had haunted Gippal and Paine with every one they had sliced down. "Yeah," her tone sounded flat on her ears. "Not a heartless."

* * *

Aimless, Irving meandered in the general direction of the cafeteria. SEED's training area was temporarily closed down so the stock of monsters could repopulate, which was fair enough but made training damn difficult for the sharpshooter. Still targets presented no challenge. Irving sighed. "Maybe I can trick Zell into helping me out," he drawled aloud. "He moves fast enough to make things interesting."

Entering the cafeteria, he noted the absurdly long line. Flashing his most dazzling smile, Irving cut straight to the front. "Evenin'," he greeted the cook with an easy smile. "Hotdogs tonight?"

The middle-aged woman gave him a severe look. "Yes," she confirmed, wielding a spoon, "now get to the back of the line. I don't serve line-cutters."

Irving tipped his hat, "Ma'am" and went to flirt with a group of some flourishing SEED at the back of the line.

He was almost to the front when Cid's voice sounded over the ship's speakers, "Attention: we are approaching a new world. Everyone report to your stations until further notice. Teams 1 and 2, report to the Bridge. Repeat—"

Irving's stomach growled in protest. He sighed. "Any chance of getting one for the road?" he asked the cook.

She frowned at him but passed a wrapped hotdog across the counter. "Take care of yourself," she instructed with a motherly sort of bustle.

"Ma'am," he tipped his hat and took off for the Bridge.

* * *

Edge was polishing his shiyukens with a singular air when Penelo arrived. She frowned slightly. All their quiet leader seemed to do was polish his weapons and stare at his companions with a reserved air.

Maneuvering her zodiac spear so she didn't take anyone out, Penelo joined the still grieving Paine. Her silver-haired friend offered a half-apologetic smile before her eyes lost focus again. "Maybe you should sit this one out," Penelo prompted, quiet enough so Edge couldn't hear.

The warrior's eyes snapped into focus. "No," Paine said sharply. She frowned, then continued less forcefully, "Looking for castaways will help keep my mind off—" She went silent, flinching slightly at the unspoken name.

Penelo dropped the subject. Everyone dealt with grief differently. For her part, Penelo didn't know definitively that anyone from Ivalice was dead. She had woken up alone in a strange world with dancing teacups. For all she knew, her friends were still alive, scattered across different worlds.

The doors slid open, admitting Barrett's bulky form. He glanced briefly at Paine and grunted by way of sympathy.

Next, Irving strolled through the doors, relaxed as ever. Penelo smiled. The sharpshooter reminded her of Balthier, though Irving was younger and more carefree than the skypirate.

"I'm here!" Zell exclaimed, almost colliding with Irving's back in his hurry not to be late. "Oh! Sorry about that, Irving!"

Penelo gave a light laugh, causing Zell to blush.

"Careless as always, I see," Quistis chided, entering on the tail end of the run-in.

Zell's blush deepened.

"Well, now that you're all here," Cid began, him and his small companion emerging from the lift, "Shelke has identified this world as Black Woods."

"There are four points of entry and extraction, though I would only recommend one as the other three are in areas that are extremely dangerous," Shelke continued in her near-monotone. The computer genius turned to a wall screen, manipulating the controls to bring up blurred images of strange heartless. "The resolution of these images is not due to interference. It seems that the heartless on this world do not possess what we would call a physical body. They can expand or contract at will, making them incredibly difficult to kill. However—" her fingers moved rapidly over the controls, magnifying one of the images "—they do have a weakness. Lack of corporal form makes the target smaller, but it still exists."

The image now magnified to an insane degree, Penelo thought she could discern a faint pink glow cloaked at the more-or-less center of the shapeless heartless. "Is that a heart?"

Shelke's eyes lighted. "Exactly."

"Hold one a damn minute," Barrett interrupted. "How can a heartless have a heart?"

Shelke's eyes took on that singular glow that Penelo had come to associate with the small girl getting excited about her science. "It is not a whole heart. It seems that only half of the heart has disintegrated, which prevents these heartless from taking a fully physical form. However, they possess all of the powers that make their full-counterparts so formidable. I do not understand it myself." She paused for a half-beat, then added, "I suppose you could say that these hearts are still fighting. They do not want to be controlled by darkness."

Penelo smiled. The child was odd. Still, Shelke had an incurable optimism despite her serious nature.

Barrett grunted.

"So we aim for the almost invisible glowing thing at their centers?" Zell confirmed, already throwing mock-punches in a fighting stance.

Shelke nodded. "I am not sure how these heartless will react when attacked. There is a significant absence of heartless in one area. I assume there is some form of heavy resistance set up there, but no further information is available."

Paine's head shot up at the news. "We should start looking for the castaways in the safe zone first," she asserted.

"I agree," Shelke nodded. "Although this safe zone may have been secured by local inhabitants, it is the most likely location of any survivors from other worlds."

For the first time since the meeting started, Edge moved. All eyes immediately went to him. "Barrett, Paine, Irving, you're Team 2. If there are castaways in the safe zone, you're to bring them back here and then rejoin us as reinforcements. Quistis, Zell, Penelo, and I will scout the area immediately outside the safe zone and test this theory of Shelke's."

"I will keep a look-out for you from inside the planet's network," Shelke added.

Penelo suppressed a shudder. The entire concept of the Synaptic Net Dive gave her the creeps. But projecting her mind into a computer network didn't seem to bother Shelke, other than exhausting the girl for a solid day afterwards.

The conference over, the group started for the lift.

* * *

"What the hell?" Barrett demanded of no one in particular.

Paine echoed his sentiments exactly. The sunlit clearing was the picture of peace: gurgling river nearby, an excess of singing birds, and smoke cheerfully billowing out of the quaint cottage's chimney. She noted with revulsion that numerous fluffy-tailed animals appeared to be washing clothes and dishes in the river. This was completely counterproductive as they rubbed their grimy paws and oily hair all over said materials. Paine suppressed a shudder.

Abruptly, the squirrels, rabbits, birds, deer, and other woodland creatures stopped in their enterprise, all beady eyes and ears cocked toward the sudden strangers.

Paine slowly shifted her grip on her sword. If this was the force that had kept the heartless as bay, SEED might be in for a tough time trying to stay in the safe zone.

Just as abruptly, the door to the cottage flung open. "Birdsies!" an oddly familiar voice pierced the air. A heartbeat later, a young woman with loose blond hair emerged in the strangest dress Paine had ever seen. It hung just above the woman's bare feet, ruffles of white layers belying its somewhat billowing nature. The top laced up in the front, which wasn't abnormal, but the short puffy sleeves made the ensemble utterly ridiculous. "Birdsies!" she called again, this time clapping obnoxiously. "C'mon, a little grime never killed anyone. They're clean!" The woman stopped mid-tromp, noticing the strangers for the first time. Her eyes darted over the SEED, an almost wild hope on her features. "Paine!"

The warrior hardly had time to react as the woman sprinted across the river. Ignoring the agitated noises of the animals and hastily bared weapons of the SEED, she flung her arms around Paine and hugged the shocked warrior tightly. "Sweet Spira, I thought I was the only one who made it off!" the woman's voice rapidly descended into happy sobs.

Paine's mind remained stubbornly blank for another full second. Then, "Rikku?"

The Al'Bhed laughed and danced back a step, wiping happy tears from her face. "Meanie," she chided. "I haven't changed _that _much." Rikku flashed her signature grin.

Paine couldn't suppress a grin of her own. She cast her best friend's outfit a speculative look. "You used to wear less," she countered.

Rikku laughed and pulled her into another hug. "I missed you."

For once not adverse to being touched, Paine hugged Rikku just as tightly. "You too," her voice broke; the meeting turned bitter by the knowledge that she would have to tell the Al'Bhed what happened to her cousin and fiancé. Still, a broad smile would not be denied. "Rikku, what _is_ this?"

The Al'Bhed danced back, casting her a curious look. Paine nodded toward the seemingly innocent army of woodland creatures and picturesque cottage. Rikku laughed. "Oh, that," she shrugged. "These nice old guys think I'm the cousin of someone they know." Paine raised an eyebrow at her. "I know what you're thinking, but they didn't actually give the girl a name and they described her as having dark hair, a feminine figure, and being "snow white," so…" she paused, shifting from foot to foot and fidgeting. Classic Rikku. "…it sounds kinda like Lulu, and Yunie considers Lulu an older sister, and I'm _Yunie's _cousin, so—"

Paine tried to muster a reproachful air, but she chuckled instead. The logic was just too absurd to justify.

Rikku grinned impishly.

Shaking her head, Paine cast a look at her waiting friends. "Everyone, this is Rikku. She's an Al'Bhed, which means that she can probably rival Shelke in machine construction. Rikku's also my best friend, so if anyone has a problem with her joining SEED, stifle it," she threatened. On a few worlds, some castaways had been deliberately left behind. While these were few and far between, Paine wasn't going to entertain the vaguest protest made in this case. Fortunately, the group didn't look like they were going to object.

"Hey, guys," Rikku greeted, flashing another grin. "Don't mind Painey. She's always like this."

The group raised a collective brow at Paine. _Damn Rikku and her big mouth._

"Painey?" Zell repeated and burst into a chorus of laughter.

Paine glared at the chortling sparer.

* * *

The men in the group reacted the same and differently to Rikku's newly donned Gullwing attire. Zell gawked openly. A permanent flirtatious grin settled over Irving's features, him glancing over at Rikku and winking every few seconds. Barrett grunted and looked solidly in the opposite direction. Even the stoic Edge developed a twitch in his jaw.

Quistis blushed slightly at how bold Paine's friend was. Rikku didn't seem the least concerned with how little her skimpy clothes covered…or didn't cover. Drawing even more attention to herself, Rikku seemed to be of a similar energetic order as Zell, incapable of holding still for more than a handful of seconds. Consequently, the girl was shifting her hips back and forth almost constantly, making it extremely uncomfortable for the poor males in the group.

"So then there was this massive black thing in the sky that sucked me into it, and, next thing I know, here I am!" Rikku continued her story.

"You've been here all this time?" Penelo interrupted.

The girl's swirling green eyes turned toward her. "Yup! and been dying to get out of here ever since," she imparted. "I don't mind places like this every once in awhile, but it's not really my style."

From what little she knew of Rikku, Quistis could well believe that statement.

"Have any other castaways shown up here?" Edge interjected quietly.

"Not that I've seen," Rikku replied promptly. "'Course, the old guys and animals don't let me out much." Paine's eyes flared at that. "Not like that," she hurried on, catching her friend's mood. "They just don't want this mean old witch to come get me like she did for my cousin." Paine shot her another look. "Okay, fine! She's not my cousin! You try living this way for five years and then keeping your stories straight!" Paine gave an amused smirk.

Barrett grunted. "We'll have to search the rest of it," he stated, checking his machine gun arm.

Edge nodded. Standing abruptly, "Team 2, Penelo, take Rikku back to the ship. Paine, introduce her to SEED. Penelo, Barrett, Irving, get back here as soon as they're safely abroad. _All of you._"

Irving tried for an innocent grin under Edge's pointed stare.

* * *

Shelke remained in the network for another handful of seconds, making sure that these strange heartless did not try to pursue the fleeing SEED. "Pursuit: negligible," she announced and made her own retreat back into her mind. Weary as usual after an extended SND, Shelke didn't even bother to remove the SND apparatus. Closing her eyes, Shelke allowed her too tense muscles to relax.

Already almost asleep, Shelke was distantly aware of Cid's wife, Edea, removing the apparatus so Shelke wouldn't wake up without a crick in her neck. "Thank you," Shelke managed before drifting out of consciousness.


	2. SEED 2

SEED 2

"Dad!" Marlene protested as Barrett attempted to pick her up and physically remove her from her team of training SEED.

Said man's expression was thunderous. "What did I tell you about fighting?" he demanded.

Marlene glared rebelliously back. "That was back in Midgar," she shot heatedly back. "Things are different now. There aren't many of us castaways, and we all have to pull our own weight. You told me _that_ too."

Barrett stared hard at his daughter, wondering exactly when she had become this stubborn teenager. "Fine," he assented gruffly. Now he turned his gaze to the other members of her team, "but if she comes home with so much a scratch—" he hefted his machine-gun arm.

"Dad!"

Barrett allowed himself to be shooed away but cast a death glare at Marlene's suddenly pale teammates. The sliding doors cutting off his vision, Barrett grinned with pride. Marlene was shaping up to be every bit the rebel that befit AVALANCHE. He didn't like the idea of Marlene in combat, but it would surely be another few years before the new SEED would be ready for action. Still, he'd have to have a word with Cid. Just in case.

* * *

Another heartless scout veered away from the standard flight pattern, steering closer to investigate the bulky monstrosity that was inching its way parallel to the heartless' usual flight route. Swerving almost lazily in the gunner chair, the twenty-year old ex-emperor quickly locked-on and shot a single round. Taking a direct hit on the engine, the heartless scout exploded, scattered debris the only evidence of its existence.

"Nice shot, Larsa," Penelo's voice crackled over the comm.

Larsa smiled into his earpiece. The salvage team floated into view beyond his station's glass, three white spacesuits propelled towards the heartless wreckage by individualized jets. "That's four," he taunted lightly.

"Huh," she returned. A blast from the gunner station to his right took out another heartless ship on approach. "Four even," she gloated.

"Eighteen," Edge reported.

Larsa shook his head. For coming from a world with limited technology, Edge was a wonder at the gunner's station.

"Meanie! I only have twelve!" the newest addition to the group exclaimed into the comm.

Paine's low chuckle barely registered.

"All the action must be on the other side of the ship today," Penelo said, more to sooth her comrades' egos than her own.

Barrett's forced grunt acknowledged the gesture but clearly conveyed his feelings on the matter.

Larsa took down another heartless vessel that flew within range of the salvage team. "Five." He scanned the shipping lines for a moment before switching to a private line. "Penelo, what do you make of Paine's new friend?"

"Rikku," she supplied the name. Penelo paused, collecting her thoughts. "She seems nice, and Paine vouches for her," her tone acquired a teasing quality. "Why? Does the young emperor have a crush?"

That elicited a genuine laugh from him. "No," he assured her, "and I'm not _that _young. I'm just curious. The last pick-up we had was two months ago, and a river chocobo hardly qualifies as a pick-up."

"Aw, I know you've got a soft spot for Aqua. Don't think I haven't noticed the sudden drop in gigashi leaves after every visit you make to see him."

Larsa smiled. He did have a soft spot for chocobos. They were very loyal and lovable creatures, not to mention that they seemed to be almost universal amongst the castaways' worlds that had been destroyed by the heartless. Consequently, when Aqua had been discovered, he had become the most pampered chocobo in existence overnight. "I'm not the only guilty party here, Penelo." He could almost feel her blush over the comm. All SEED spoiled Aqua rotten.

"Hey, guys!" Zell's voice interrupted the channel with a sudden burst of static. "Edge says to stop yappin' and get back on the main channel. Shift only lasts another twenty minutes. Wait to ask Penelo out until then!" A lessening of static let him know Zell had tuned out.

"I somehow doubt Edge said that," Penelo breathed.

* * *

These heartless were persistent creatures. He'd give them that. Still…

Unloading six rounds from _Deathbringer_, he snapped the barrel open to reload. Fully armed once more, his crimson eyes swept the area for any dropped items. Five potions and an ether. Not horrible for an evening's work.

"I thought I told you to leave some for me!" his small companion complained, just now catching up.

He looked, unapologetic, at the purple-haired, horned child. "I thought I told you to wait with the others at the safe house," he returned.

Eiko huffed, making known her opinion of that plan. "I am a great summoner," she declared haughtily. "I will go where I please, when I please."

Vincent made a soft noise of amusement. The child was impossible. "Fine," he agreed. "You're low on MP. Take this." He tossed the ether at her. The girl caught the bottle but condescended to use it in his presence. He smirked softly and started back toward the safe house. "Come on, great summoner."

The little girl nodded sagely in acceptance of the title. He was fully five steps past her before she recognized the seemingly serious tone as chiding. "Hey!"

* * *

The aged headmaster sighed heavily. The next world in their path looked like it was on the verge of being torn apart by darkness. If the world collapsed with the SEED ship in orbit, it could jeopardize the safety of everyone abroad. On the other hand, Shelke kept saying, "He's here. Vincent Valentine." The girl so rarely insisted on anything that Cid couldn't help but wonder who this "Vincent Valentine" was.

"I have already located a point of relatively safe extraction," Shelke continued.

"Relatively?" he pondered.

"This world's level of instability is significantly greater than that of any worlds previously visited. However, I estimate that this has been a fairly recently development. The probability of the world destabilizing before the SEED ship being able to move to a safe distance is negligible," she reasoned.

Cid looked hard at the nearly black world and shook his head. "I won't send a team down there. I'm sorry, Shelke," he added.

Shelke didn't seem the least perturbed by his decision. "Of course, sending a team would not be advisable," she agreed. "Some time ago, I modified a cell phone for Vincent Valentine when he was attempting to infiltrate Deepground. Among other functions, the cell phone allows me to perform a SND remotely, the cell phone acting as the relay conduit. If the cell phone was not transmitting from that world, I would not have been able to penetrate the planet's network."

A slight frown pulled Cid's brows together. He had never fully grasped how a SND worked.

"If we move the SEED ship close enough to the planet, I believe I will be able to establish a solid signal with the cell phone," Shelke pressed. "That way, I can tell Vincent Valentine where the extraction point is without the necessity of sending a team." She paused. "However, this course of action will take us very close to the planet's atmosphere. There is a strong probability of heartless attack from the surface."

The headmaster paced for a handful of seconds, deliberating. Abruptly, he stopped and looked at Shelke. "I'll address the crew," he finally agreed.

Shelke offered an involuntary smile.


End file.
